Grand Views... Rave Reviews. At the Thistle Lodge Beachfront Restaurant, delicious cuisine is served in a historical heirloom setting overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Swaying palms and gently breaking waves further set the scene for romance.

Thistle Lodge at The Casa Ybel Resort is a beautiful waterfront restaurant, worth the price. We had surf and turf, snapper and twin Maine lobster tails. The food was served in a timely manner, hot and fresh. The service was professional and personalized (Rosie is fantastic). The manager checked in with us briefly, which was much appreciated. Having a window seat looking out to the ocean is fantastic!

We sat for at least 20 min before we finally asked a waiter if he could wait on us! He said he didnt know who was supposed to wait on us but would help us out! After that we were fine.Dinner was great and prompt!

Disappointed in quality of food. Served cold. Poor service. Had to ask for water and bread after 15 minutes. Small Portions; adequate for females but I would imagine males leaving rather unsatisfied Establishment of this caliber with these prices should be held to higher standard Lovely setting but not enough to bring me back

Staff was very efficient and friendly. The rack of lamb and seafood were cooked to perfection and the flavors were Devine. Arrived for dinner as the sun was setting. This place is good for casual dress or fancy attire, depending on the personal occasion. One of our favorite places to dine.

Very nice restaurant, quiet, southern charm. Food was good but not great, service was fine as well. Their rendition of soft shell crab was interesting. I am not used to damp soft shells. Not my favorite by any means. Their fish was very good, and well prepared. You can get better seafood on the Island for a lot less. Good restaurant,not a good value.

Lobster /crab bisque was done well, but everything else from stale bread to sinewy short ribs was disappointing. Wife got filet that was flavorless- for the high price of this dinner we shouldn't have had to go home and order pizza.

We returned to Sanibel after 30+ years and the Thistle Lodge had been one of our favorites back in the mid-80's. This was my wife's birthday and we had a fantastic time. The food and atmosphere were as great as we remembered! The Thistle Lodge experience did not disappoint!

Asked for a quiet romantic table and were so provided. The food was very good. Wait staff were efficient but nearly as polished as the setting could enjoy. Could be a superb experience if wait staff were more accomplished.

We always make a point to dine here while on Sanibel and have done so for decades. This time was a huge disappointment. Service was really lacking for a high end restaurant. Waitress belongs in a diner not a high end restaurant. After handing us the dog eared specials menu for the day, she returns 10 min later, points and reads the entire thing to us. We weren't even interested in it. We ordered off the main menu. Short ribs were way overdone, dry, and piled in a messy heap. Chewy tough broccoli rabe. No presentation. Vegetarian canneloni had very good pomodoro sauce but terrible tough grilled veggies inside the canneloni. Inedible. Also a messy presentation. Not what we expected from this chef. We cancelled another reservation and don't plan on returning.

My husband and I have gone to the Thistle Restaurant for a number of years for brunch on Sunday.This past Sunday we went only to find out that the normal a la carte menu was not available and that a buffet had been set up in its place. The are where the buffet was set up was very cramped and not well organised. A basket containing bagels and English muffins was available, but there was no toaster. Upon asking about a toaster, we were told that it had been appropriated for another event. After ten minutes or so, our server came to the table to say that a toaster had been located. The brunch offerings were OK, but the only eggs available were in omelette form. The old brunch menu had a very varied selection, Eggs Benedict, Smoked salmon Benedict, to name a few. While the Thistle still has a very good dinner menu, I think the Sunday brunch buffet is something we will not return to.

We have dined at Thistle Lodge several times. The last visit was not up to their normal standards. All very small items but for a fine dining experience one expects everything to be first class. The menus were dirty and the sheets inside had been used and wrinkled. The day's special was printed on plain white paper - no logo or chef's name. Something you get at a lunch diner. The food was good and our waiter was excellent. Just didn't fully meet our high expectations.

We have been to this restaurant a few times over the last few years with very good experiences. So we decided to spend our Valentines evening there. What a HUGE mistake!!! The service was non existent. It took over 10 mins after being seated for someone (the manager?) to ask what we wanted to drink. When I complained about the lack of service he gave brought us our first round. Very nice gesture but the service continue to be bad the entire night. If I remember correctly our server only showed up 3 times; to take the order, bring the wine and then the bill. I had to pour the wine during our meal. There was a set menu which is expected during a holiday but the food was cold and dried out. We both had fish and could not eat it. When I got the bill they automatically placed the gratuity on which for a party of 2 is just wrong. At that point I just wanted to leave since the evening was ruined. I might go back on non holiday since the place has such a nice atmosphere but won't be this season.

The Thistle Lodge is pretty and the food is good however we arrived 15 minutes early for our reservation and we were greeted rudely by several staff. The bar was not open to get a drink while we waited and the staff was indifferent. The receptionist and staff should be better trained in customer relations.